Free entry offer draws crowds to Malacca
State govt move to waive fees at 10 tourist spots for declaration of independence celebrations lauded
Visitors queued for more than two hours at the Malacca Zoo on Tuesday as they took advantage of the free admission to tourist spots offered by the state government in conjunction with the Declaration of Independence of Malaya celebrations.
Mohd Noradil Mohd Ali, 45, said he, his wife, and three children, started queuing as early as 7.15am and gained entry two hours later into the zoo, which opened at 9am.
The restaurant owner said despite the large crowd at the entrance, he was thrilled to have fulfilled his wish to bring his children, aged 11 to 19, to the tourist spot.
“I thought our family was among the first but to my surprise, there were many who had arrived earlier. Some started queuing as early as 4am. We were willing to wait because free entry to the zoo does not come often.
“The last time I visited the zoo was eight years ago and at the time, the ticket price was only about RM7. Now, it has gone up to RM30 per person. So, we saved quite a bit of money,” he said, adding that he was also planning to bring his family to the Malaysia Heritage Studios (MHS).
Norhayati Shamsudin, 42, from Bukit Katil, said she and 14 other family members, who last visited the zoo about 12 years ago, also took advantage of the offer.
“We started queuing as early as 7.30am. Initially, we were thrilled but the heat and crowd made the experience less enjoyable. The ticket counter area was too congested and I think the zoo should consider making some improvements.”
She also expressed appreciation to the state government for offering local residents the opportunity to enjoy free entry to tourist spots.
A. Kirthijan, 17, said he and his family left home at 7am to visit several tourist attractions across the state, Bernama reported.
“I am looking forward to exploring Malacca, especially the zoo. After that, I am headed to the Malacca Wonderland Theme Park and Resort.”
P. Yeogasundari, who visited Malacca on Tuesday with her husband and two children, was surprised by the crowd at the zoo and MHS.
She said they stayed at a hotel in Banda Hilir and planned to visit the zoo. However, they had a change of mind after seeing the crowd
and went to MHS instead.
“There was quite a crowd at MHS too and we just learnt that it is a public holiday in Malacca,” she said, adding that she was heading back to Ipoh after her visit to MHS.
The state government waived
entrance fees to 10 tourist spots in conjunction with the state public holiday commemorating the Declaration of Independence of Malaya on Tuesday.
The 10 locations were the river cruise, Taming Sari Tower, museums under the Malacca Museum Corporation, Malacca Zoo, Al-Khawarizmi Astronomy Complex, Malacca Wonderland Theme Park and Resort, Malacca Marine Park, five state golf clubs, the prison museum and MHS.